Wilco - “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”
They spent the summer days applying for jobs and writing reviews, the nights drinking bourbon at the pub under a picture of James Joyce, listening to Wilco b-sides and trying to figure out their failed relationships. - portraitoftheartistasayoungman
I’m from Barcelona - “We’re from Barcelona”
It is impossible to listen to this song and not be cheered up. C’mon, bop along with me!
We’ll aim for the stars
We’ll aim for your heart when the night comes
And we’ll bring you love
You’ll be one of us when the night comes
Passion Pit | “To Kingdom Come”
Somewhere between the sublime and the ridiculous: bubbly pastel cartoons and goofy mustachios. The band members play Victorian scientists.
Bonus, bonus, bonus: reciprocal transformation. Chairlift remixes Passion Pit’s “To Kingdom Come,” and Passion Pit remixes Chairlift’s “Bruises”
Vampire Weekend - Horchata
Here comes a feeling you thought you’d forgotten
The one and only horchata I’ve ever had was from Felipe’s, the standby burrito place of late nights. It had a strong dose of cinnamon and a few too many heaps of sugar disguising what tasted like the dishwater from an emptied bowl of rice pudding. Additionally, it came in a paper cup emblazoned with Coca Cola logos. No lid or straw even! I let it sit, unfinished, on my desk as the ice melted and the drink went lukewarm. When I finally dumped it out, there was chalky white gunk on the bottom.
You can download Vampire Weekend’s now not-so-new single here.
Jens Lekman - Draw a Dinosaur for Me
From the Dept of Forgotten Songs — once a promotional site for Jens Lekman’s tour, now defunct. The songs — demos and otherwise unreleased material— are scattered across the web as lone mp3s. I have not been able to find them all, but a good lot of them are here.
Is this a good song? This question is cause for much waffling, but I like how the lyrics belie the childish simplicity of its title.
The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea
One way to listen to this song: make a tent out of pashmina scarves and light an alcohol lamp.
The Postal Service - Clark Gable
I want so badly to believe
That there is truth, that love is real
And I want life in every word
To the extent that it’s absurd
MGMT - Of Moons, Birds, and Monsters (Holy Ghost! Remix)
This is a most excellent remix of a good song.
Interpol - Not Even Jail
Can’t you feel all the warmth of my sincerity?
In my 100% ideal world, everyone would be 100% sincere 100% of the time.
Until your eardrums throb and there is an aching emptiness when you turn off the music. I hate loud music and sweaty crowds but there is nothing I want to do more than rock out to them. Passion Pit needs to come back to Cambridge. Please please please.
Death Cab for Cutie - Someday You Will Be Loved
The most generous breakup song. I want to be able to feel this way, if and when these situations arise. Plans has been in my library close to forever, yet I keep returning to this album. And lately, like I said, way too much Death Cab.
Belle and Sebastian - Funny Little Frog
Today is a Belle and Sebastian day. Skirts and a slight breeze.
M. Ward - Chinese Translation
He said now if you got some questions
go and lay them at my feet
but my time here is brief
so you’ll have to pick just three
And I said:
What do you do with the pieces of a broken heart?
And how can a man like me remain in the light?
And if life is really as short as they say, then why is the night so long?
The Shins - Australia
On repeat. So many times I have listened to this song, singing along with the snippets that I knew. But string it all together and what do you get? From a Dutch interview with James Mercers, found here.
“That song is mainly based on a middle-aged woman who used to be a colleague of mine. She was a very bitter woman, full of regret and guilt. She felt like she ruined her own life, and she had. Never made the right choices, not enough energy to face life’s challenges. She hated her job and never got married. It turned her into a very harsh and cruel person. Hence the denomination Himmler in your coat. It was so terrible that it was absurd/hilarious/laughable.. What I thought was funny, was that she believed in Jesus. I imagined the dreams she had when she was young, everything that never came true. I’m convinced she is still an employee at that same office, she will stay there forever. And she will die of some terrible form of cancer. Poor devil.”
